Tag Archives: Migration Board

Immigrants in any nation must overcome tremendous legal odds in securing their rights to remain and avoid deportation. One would assume it is only fair to ensure lawyers assigned to defend immigrants are free from bias. However, the Swedish Migration board hired a notorious anti-Muslim bigot to represent asylum seekers including Muslims. Hans-Ola Martensson has a blog which is replete with anti-Muslim and immigration comments such as Islam is a “psychological disease.” His blog insists “Muslims are multiplying like rabbits and want to take over Europe.” He also calls for “de-Islamifying” Muslims and compelling them to adopt Swedish ideas.

Mr. Martensson is an equal opportunity bigot and hates gays and lesbians and condemns Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing as a “communist witch” but does add giving her an award is certainly better than giving the prize to Arabs and Negroes.

The Migration Board was shocked to learn one of their employees who is supposed to fairly represent immigrants hates many of the people he is supposedly defending. In fairness to Mr. Martensson, he argues the blog simply reflects his personal views and should not be construed as meaning he carries such dislikes into his professional work.

An employee of the Swedish Migration Board was demoted for expressing pro-Israel views on his blog. Lennart Eriksson has worked for the Board over the past 21 years and expressed views in support of Israel on his blog and condemned a counsel for the Board for terming Hamas as a “liberation movement.” His supervisor, Eugene Palmer, said, “of course everyone has a right to any opinion. However, when holding an upper-level management position at the Migration Board, one must be careful how one chooses to express private opinions in a public fashion.” Staffan Opitz, representing the Migration Board at a hearing in a court, termed Hamas as a “liberation movement.”

The issue is not whether or not Hamas is or is not a “liberation movement” since people from various perspectives hold differing views about Hamas. A statement by the Migration Board terming Hamas to be such a movement certainly raises questions about its own neutrality. A member of Parliament, Annelie Enochson points out the Migration Board stand contradicts the foreign policy of the Swedish government. Should leaders of the Migration Board be demoted?

Hamas is many things to many people. Certainly, Mr. Eriksson has a right to express his opinion just as the Migration Board has a right to take a stand. The only issue is does the Migration Board have any evidence the pro-Israel bias of Mr. Eriksson resulted in personal views leading to the denial of the rights of a person seeking a judgment from the Migration Board? Actions determine free speech, not free speech.

The Swedish Migration Board unboubtedly has been spending too much time in Stockholm and might benefit from a trip to the southern climes of hot and dusty Iraq. An Iraqi woman is going to be deported back home where she faces the prospect of being the victim of an honor killing, but, according to the Migration Board, all is well and peaceful in quiet Iraq. The Board has decided that reduction in violence in northern Iraq has been so powerful, that no one is really at risk living in that location. This decision was made against efforts of the Swedish Foreign Ministry and the Red Cross which spoke about the dangers confronting the woman upon arrival in Iraq.

The Migration Board expert on Iraq stated that Iraq authorities can give the woman “reasonably effective protection against criminality.” We suggest a program be initiated to send this gentleman on an all expense free trip to northern Iraq where he can enjoy pleasant strolls through cities without fear of any danger. On the other hand, ducking might be a wiser policy.

Although Sweden has done an outstanding jobs in accepting Iraq immigration, the Swedish Migration Board has a rather unusual concept of what is happening in Iraq. It turned down the application for political asylum from an 51 year-old Iraqi on ground the armed militias and terrorist groups in Iraq were not engaged in a full blown war against the government. It also cited recent American figures claiming the “surge” had led to a reduction in the number of deaths in Baghdad. The man, a Shiite, refused to take part in Shiite violence against Sunnis and was threatened with death. The Court decided since he was a Shiite and that group is the largest religious group in Iraq, the man belongs to a dominant religious faction!

Perhaps, the Swedish Migration Board might wish to hold future hearings in Baghdad concerning applications for asylum from Iraqis.Do any of these people read a newspaper?